Tuesday, September 28

﻿ Back from Ocean Shores, I was back on the bike to work on Monday. Traffic was lighter than usual and the moonlight was bright. I kept wondering how I might work "it was a dark and stormy night into an uneventful commute. In a moment, everything changed and I never did make it to work; suffering my worst crash since I turned ten.

Headed up Anita, I've developed a bad habit recently of cutting through the parking lot of a closed bank. Doing so enables me to better deal with overtaking traffic on FM1709. Monday, I discovered - the hard way, that, during my vacation, the center turn lane was ground down six inches or more. I Carefully watched the FM1709 traffic and swung into a good gap. That was my last recollection until I awoke in the MICU van.

According to reports, I went down as I crossed into the center lane, and a 911 call was made by a passing motorist who saw my lights and my motionless body. Initially, I seemed confused to the responders, but I remember none of that.

New Shirt - Worn Twice

All I know is I bled a lot, and learned that the roads change daily. I should be out of hospital on Wednesday. The good news is I'm now off the blood thinner and the damage is fairly minor, if a bit gory. In case anyone has a question, no motor vehicles were involved in the making of this crash. I'm not sure if this was a violation of "the Land Rover Rule," but it probably was since the Rover is a lot wider, if less susceptible to unexpected changes in road surface.

Once I read that you had crashed, I was kind of hoping that the bank parking lot had something to do with it; you know, for my Mother's sake. If you must crash, please do it in a parking lot next time.

For those of you thinking I'm a heartless bastard, that was something of an inside joke that I know Steve will get.

I had one of those! I got the gash over the eye and ABSOLUTELY FREE as part of the unbeatable package I popped the clavicle off the top of my right shoulder joint and broke my left thumb. I wore a strap on the separation for 10 loooooong weeks and the cast on my left hand for about 8.

Rantwick's mom would simply nod. The lesson is never focus on traffic to the exclusion of even a familiar street. I feel much better and am the only ICU patient allowed to wander the halls. OTOH, my face looks much worse as the bruises achieve full color.

Oh no! Sorry to hear that! Is the bike OK? I hope bike a rider make a speedy recovery. And if it can happen to you, it can happen to anybody. I'm very interested in the fuller story once you feel up to telling it.

Steve - Please know that I will accept the changing colours of your face as a submission to the Autumn Tree Smackdown This special exception is being made because 1)you are laid up and 2) Living in Texas and 3) changing colour in the fall.

JRA - This IS the fuller story - it's like going off a curb - simple if you're expecting it but much less so if it happens unexpectedly and without warning. In my experience, many falls are that way. I'm told the bike is fine, but I haven't seen it since the event. As long as the wheels are still true, I think other damage is likely to be minor since I went down on my left side and I was making a left turn; offering protection to the drivetrain. I'll use this opportunity to fit the new brakes.

Bill, I think the speedy recovery is likely. I expect to do a trial ride tomorrow, though I also think it'll be a couple of weeks before my shoulder will permit longer rides.

Rantwick. Thanks, but I'm not a tree yet. My spies are out and about.

All, I am staying positive and no bones were broken. It's something that could have happened to anybody, on most any surface. It does not invalidate my basic riding approach, though it does argue against complacency. It also argues against hospital food!

Yikes Steve, that's quite a tale. Scary to have "lost" all that time between the crash then waking up. Must have given yourself quite a knock on the head. Best wishes for your recovery and continued safe travels.

Blood thinner makes things look more gruesome than otherwise. Actually, it's my shoulder that hurts most and nobody has even considered it worth looking at. What worries me NOW about this durn hospital is they have started getting worried about stuff entirely unrelated to why I'm here in the first place - like they think my resting pulse drops too low at night. Next time someone tells me that, I'll reply that if she gets out of the car and onto a bike, she'd have the same "problem."

I'm relieved you'll be OK, Steve. I've has similar experiences, but they haven't produced a fall....yet (knock, knock, knock). I think we get complacent from riding the same road so many times. We think we know it intimately, yet there's something out there waiting to produce a fall. In my case, it was a longitudinal crack that I'd crossed safely until the one morning when I didn't. My front wheel dropped into it and (fortunately for me) popped out without causing a loss of control. It's easy to say, but we should NEVER take anything for granted on the road.

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Context

Subject MatterMostly it's about local transportation cycling, as it exists in the here and now. It's got a smattering of other gratuitous toy recreation thrown in to keep y'all a little off balance. For those that don't know me, toy recreation means English & Italian cars, aircraft - and downhill skiing.